The compound (10R)-7-amino-12-fluoro-2,10,16-trimethyl-15-oxo-10,15,16,17-tetrahydro-2H-8,4-(metheno)pyrazolo[4,3-h][2,5,11]benzoxadiazacyclotetradecine-3-carbonitrile (PF-06463922), represented by the formula (I):
has been assigned the International Nonproprietary Name (INN) lorlatinib, as described in WHO Drug Information, Vol. 29, No. 4, page 541 (2015). Lorlatinib is a potent, macrocyclic inhibitor of both wild type and resistance mutant forms of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) and c-ros oncogene 1 (ROS1) receptor tyrosine kinase.
Preparation of the free base of lorlatinib as an amorphous solid is disclosed in International Patent Publication No. WO 2013/132376 and in U.S. Pat. No. 8,680,111. Solvated forms of lorlatinib free base are disclosed in International Patent Publication No. WO 2014/207606. The contents of each of the foregoing documents are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Human cancers comprise a diverse array of diseases that collectively are one of the leading causes of death in developed countries throughout the world (American Cancer Society, Cancer Facts and Figures 2005. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2005). The progression of cancers is caused by a complex series of multiple genetic and molecular events including gene mutations, chromosomal translocations, and karyotypic abnormalities (Hanahan & Weinberg, The hallmarks of cancer. Cell 2000; 100: 57-70). Although the underlying genetic causes of cancer are both diverse and complex, each cancer type has been observed to exhibit common traits and acquired capabilities that facilitate its progression. These acquired capabilities include dysregulated cell growth, sustained ability to recruit blood vessels (i.e., angiogenesis), and ability of tumor cells to spread locally as well as metastasize to secondary organ sites (Hanahan & Weinberg 2000). Therefore, the ability to identify novel therapeutic agents that inhibit molecular targets that are altered during cancer progression or target multiple processes that are common to cancer progression in a variety of tumors presents a significant unmet need.
Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) play fundamental roles in cellular processes, including cell proliferation, migration, metabolism, differentiation, and survival. RTK activity is tightly controlled in normal cells. The constitutively enhanced RTK activities from point mutation, amplification, and rearrangement of the corresponding genes have been implicated in the development and progression of many types of cancer. (Gschwind et al., The discovery of receptor tyrosine kinases: targets for cancer therapy. Nat. Rev. Cancer 2004; 4, 361-370; Krause & Van Etten, Tyrosine kinases as targets for cancer therapy. N. Engl. J. Med. 2005; 353: 172-187.)
Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) is a receptor tyrosine kinase, grouped together with leukocyte tyrosine kinase (LTK) to a subfamily within the insulin receptor (IR) superfamily. ALK was first discovered as a fusion protein with nucleophosmin (NPM) in anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) cell lines in 1994. (Morris et al., Fusion of a kinase gene, ALK, to a nucleolar protein gene, NPM, in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Science 1994; 263:1281-1284.) NPM-ALK, which results from a chromosomal translocation, is implicated in the pathogenesis of human anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) (Pulford et al., Anaplastic lymphoma kinase proteins in growth control and cancer. J. Cell Physiol., 2004; 199: 330-58). The roles of aberrant expression of constitutively active ALK chimeric proteins in the pathogenesis of ALCL have been defined (Wan et. al., Anaplastic lymphoma kinase activity is essential for the proliferation and survival of anaplastic large cell lymphoma cells. Blood, 2006; 107:1617-1623). Other chromosomal rearrangements resulting in ALK fusions have been subsequently detected in ALCL (50-60%), inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors (27%), and non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (2-7%). (Palmer et al., Anaplastic lymphoma kinase: signaling in development and disease. Biochem. J. 2009; 420:345-361.)
The EML4-ALK fusion gene, comprising portions of the echinoderm microtubule associated protein-like 4 (EML4) gene and the ALK gene, was first discovered in NSCLC archived clinical specimens and cell lines. (Soda et al., Identification of the transforming EML4-ALK fusion gene in non-small cell lung cancer. Nature 2007; 448:561-566; Rikova et al., Cell 2007; 131:1190-1203.) EML4-ALK fusion variants were demonstrated to transform NIH-3T3 fibroblasts and cause lung adenocarcinoma when expressed in transgenic mice, confirming the potent oncogenic activity of the EML4-ALK fusion kinase. (Soda et al., A mouse model for EML4-ALK-positive lung cancer. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2008; 105:19893-19897.) Oncogenic mutations of ALK in both familial and sporadic cases of neuroblastoma have also been reported. (Caren et al., High incidence of DNA mutations and gene amplifications of the ALK gene in advanced sporadic neuroblastoma tumors. Biochem. J. 2008; 416:153-159.)
ROS1 is a proto-oncogene receptor tyrosine kinase that belongs to the insulin receptor subfamily, and is involved in cell proliferation and differentiation processes. (Nagarajan et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci 1986; 83:6568-6572). ROS1 is expressed, in humans, in epithelial cells of a variety of different tissues. Defects in ROS1 expression and/or activation have been found in glioblastoma, as well as tumors of the central nervous system (Charest et al., Genes Chromos. Can. 2003; 37(1): 58-71). Genetic alterations involving ROS1 that result in aberrant fusion proteins of ROS1 kinase have been described, including the FIG-ROS1 deletion translocation in glioblastoma (Charest et al. (2003); Birchmeier et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci 1987; 84:9270-9274; and NSCLC (Rimkunas et al., Analysis of Receptor Tyrosine Kinase ROS1-Positive Tumors in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Identification of FIG-ROS1 Fusion, Clin Cancer Res 2012; 18:4449-4457), the SLC34A2-ROS1 translocation in NSCLC (Rikova et al. Cell 2007; 131:1190-1203), the CD74-ROS1 translocation in NSCLC (Rikova et al. (2007)) and cholangiocarcinoma (Gu et al. PLoS ONE 2011; 6(1): e15640), and a truncated, active form of ROS1 known to drive tumor growth in mice (Birchmeier et al. Mol. Cell. Bio. 1986; 6(9):3109-3115). Additional fusions, including TPM3-ROS1, SDC4-ROS1, EZR-ROS1 and LRIG3-ROS1, have been reported in lung cancer patient tumor samples (Takeuchi et al., RET, ROS1 and ALK fusions in lung cancer, Nature Medicine 2012; 18(3):378-381).
The ALK/ROS1/c-MET inhibitor crizotinib was approved in 2011 for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC that is ALK-positive as detected by an FDA-approved test. Crizotinib has also shown efficacy in treatment of NSCLC with ROS1 translocations. (Shaw et al. Clinical activity of crizotinib in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring ROS1 gene rearrangement. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Chicago, Jun. 1-5, 2012.) As observed clinically for other tyrosine kinase inhibitors, mutations in ALK and ROS1 that confer resistance to ALK inhibitors have been described (Choi et al., EML4-ALK Mutations in Lung Cancer than Confer Resistance to ALK Inhibitors, N Engl J Med 2010; 363:1734-1739; Awad et al., Acquired Resistance to Crizotinib from a Mutation in CD74-ROS1, N Engl J Med 2013; 368:2395-2401).
Thus, ALK and ROS1 are attractive molecular targets for cancer therapeutic intervention. There remains a need to identify compounds having novel activity profiles against wild-type and mutant forms of ALK and ROS1.
The present invention provides a novel crystalline form of lorlatinib free base (Form 7) having desirable properties, such as high crystallinity, high purity, low hygroscopicity, and favorable dissolution and mechanical properties. In particular, Form 7 provides improved physical stability in the drug product formulation relative to the acetic acid solvate disclosed in International Patent Publication No. WO 2014/207606. Such solvated forms may present challenges for drug development, in particular with respect to physical stability. Consequently, there remains a need to identify novel forms having desirable physicochemical properties.